“I am pleased to report that in January, the U.S. Army had its single best recruiting month in 15 years and that all armed services are having among the best recruiting results ever in the history of our services. What a difference. And, you know, it was just a few months ago where the results were exactly the opposite. We couldn't recruit anywhere.”

Recruiting was not failing a few months before he spoke. The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force all met their recruiting goals in fiscal year 2024, which ended September 30, 2024, before the election. Defense data show 146,473 people signed active-duty contracts that year, about 12,000 more than the year before, and October 2024 enlistments, the last full month before Election Day, were 60% above October 2023. The recovery followed military reforms that began well before his election.

Recruiting did keep rising after the election, and the Pentagon says the period since November 5, 2024 has the highest share of recruiting mission achieved in 30 years: a continuation of a turnaround already under way. U.S. Department of Defense, April 10, 2025: "The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force met their contracting goals for new recruits last year and expect to do so again this year."